Ontario’s Young Carers: Six Stories

Six young voices on what it’s like to be a kid and care for family.

Olivia, Hope, Joel, Abbigail, Josh, Kendra. These six young people have all found themselves in a caregiving role at a young age.

It’s time for you to hear their stories.

Working with The Powerhouse Project and Project Re•Vision, The Change Foundation met up with this unique, compassionate, and clever group to give them the chance to create their own stories on their young caring experiences. The result was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time.

Meet six extraordinary Ontario youth:

Olivia

Hope

Joel

Abbigail

Josh

Kendra

It is estimated that 17% of Ontario caregivers are between the ages of 15 and 24.

Who are Ontario’s Young Carers?

Young Carers are children or youth who are helping to care for a sibling, a parent or a grandparent, and it’s estimated that approximately 17% of Ontario caregivers are youth. Young Carers often grow up quickly, and lose their childhood too early. They can experience feelings of anger, isolation, loneliness and grief—some suffer from depression or anxiety. Their school and work can suffer because of their added responsibility and they often have limited time to socialize or do extracurricular activities. Fortunately, many young carers are wise beyond their years. Their responsibility helps build self-esteem, compassion and resiliency, and they learn many important independence and life lessons.

Project Partners

Young Carers Initiative Powerhouse Project

The Young Carers Initiative (YCI) is a non-profit agency with a mission to promote the wellbeing of Young Carers, their families and their community partners. Powerhouse Project is an inter-agency strategy developed by YCI that has established two centres to meet the needs of Young Carers and their families in the Niagara and Haldimand-Norfolk Regions. For more information, please visit: www.powerhouseproject.ca.

Project Re•Vision

Provject Re•Vision is a social science institute at the University of Guelph specializing in the use of visual, digital, and sensory methods. Project Re•Vision is an assemblage of research projects dedicated to exploring ways that marginalized and misrepresented communities can use the arts to advance social inclusion and justice by challenging stereotypes. Project Re•Vision is also the home of REDLAB (Re-Visioning Differences Mobile Media Arts Lab), a mobile multi-media lab that uses arts-based methods to dismantle stereotypical understandings of difference that can create barriers to inclusion in society. For more information, please visit: http://projectrevision.ca.

WHAT’S BEING SAID

Stephane is a young caregiver who assists with caring for his younger brother. Don has been caring for his wife since her diagnosis with early onset Alzheimer’s 5 years ago.
Hear from Stephane & Don on what their #caregiving experiences have been like: bit.ly/2VuxJCKpic.twitter.com/FfZTG9IqkE

Have you registered for our upcoming webinar on Including Caregiver ID initiatives as part of Family Presence and Open Visiting Policies in Ontario?
The webinar takes place on June 6th from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Register here: bit.ly/2Wuto3qpic.twitter.com/UTo09kDe1y

While 64% of #caregivers surveyed said they were happy to step in and provide care, 18% felt intimidated by what was expected of them.
Learn more about how caregivers feel about caregiving in our Spotlight on Ontario's Caregivers report: bit.ly/2TrwMe8pic.twitter.com/dl3dwlX8MQ

'Family presence results in better patient outcomes, it is that simple."
Are you looking to implement family presence or open visiting policy in our healthcare setting? Hear from those who do and their experiences in our latest report: bit.ly/2Wuto3qpic.twitter.com/pYCMRCBVqq

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Promoting a positive evolution in Ontario’s health care system by engaging patients, family caregivers and health providers to explore contemporary health care issues.